Family Devotion
by Kyonkichi9
Summary: Effie Trinket asks for volunteers, but no one steps forward. He has two brothers, I know, I've seen them in the bakery, but one is probably too old now to volunteer and the other won't. This is standard. Family devotion only goes so far for most people on reaping day. What I did was a radical thing. Peeta's brother apologizes.


_~Effie Trinket asks for volunteers, but no one steps forward. He has two brothers, I know, I've seen them in the bakery, but one is probably too old now to volunteer and the other won't. This is standard. Family devotion only goes so far for most people on reaping day. What I did was a radical thing. ~ Page 26, The Hunger Games; Suzanne Collins_

The hurt of the truth about Katniss had stuck deep in Peeta. He had been certain that his feelings were mutual, but instead, he was being played fool on live television across the nation. At least the nation did not know that Katniss didn't love him back; that would have made it hurt more. He could not talk about it to anybody either. The truth would cause the death of everybody Katniss loved. Peeta loved her too much to allow that to happen.

So he stayed quiet, and baked and painted. He never forgot though; the feeling of being in the cave and being with Katniss during the Games. Little did Peeta know, somebody else close to him was hurting as well, though in a much different way.

It took his second eldest brother an entire month to approach Peeta. During that time, he had avoided him at all cost and had caused suspicion to grow in Peeta. The day he visited had been a day where Peeta just sat and painted his memories of the Games. His brother's knock was light, so light that Peeta did not hear it until his brother knocked again, louder.

Peeta opened the door of his house in Victor's Village; his family had been out for the day in the bakery, and Peeta had been alone. He did not expect his brother to come back so early. The boy was taller and broader than Peeta, though he was blonde and blue-eyed all the same. His mouth was set in a straight, grim line, which was something uncommon for his brother.

They exchanged awkward greetings, before Peeta offered that they go in the kitchen. His brother nodded and said no more. He followed Peeta into the kitchen and sat down at a chair, refusing any of the food that Peeta had offered. Peeta sat down across the table from him, and watched as the older boy of eighteen wrought his hands together.

Finally, his brother spoke again. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Peeta asked, genuinely confused. His brother bit his lip and furrowed his brows, as if he was trying to figure out what to say next.

They sat in silence for a couple of moments before his brother worked out a response through a tight throat, "For not volunteering for you at the reaping. I should have. You're my little brother, and I just sat there and watched as you got picked for the Games."

Peeta sat in silence, and his brother rambled on. "Maybe if had, you wouldn't have lost your leg, and maybe you would have been better off at the bakery. I was scared, Peeta... for you and for me. I was afraid that you were going to die, and I was afraid of dying. It seemed so easy for Katniss... but it's not. I tried, but I didn't. I'm a terrible brother to you. I should have volunteered."

He stopped, his voice nothing but a tear-strangled gasp and Peeta couldn't help but smile.

"I'm not angry at you for not volunteering. Being honest, if you were reaped, I probably wouldn't volunteer for you," Peeta admitted, and they both shared a laugh; Peeta's a comforting, low laugh, his brother's a weak, whispering one. "Anyways, it would be terrible if you died for me. I think losing my leg is better than losing a brother."

His brother gave him a tear stained smile and Peeta gave him a big one in return. He had never expected that his brother would have been so torn about not volunteering. Peeta looked at his brother's relieved face and realized that he must had been hurting more than Peeta was hurting now about Katniss. There was something that hurt more than betrayal of somebody he thought loved him; thinking that somebody who you knew loved you hated you for doing something.

Peeta then thought that perhaps Katniss was hurting too and that he wasn't the only victim of her masquerade. He felt the hurt lessen as his brother said, "Thank you, Peeta. It means a lot for me."

"Thank you too," Peeta told him.

Peeta smiled again as he thought of something new to paint.


End file.
